During insertion and/or movement of an endoscope within a body cavity, material, e.g., humors, blood, mucous or debris, may become lodged on or near an optical element or other distal portion of an endoscope. In such a situation, an operator's field of view may become partially or wholly obstructed. To remove such obstruction, water or another fluid may be flushed through an endoscope channel in an attempt to clean optical elements. However, such washings may be only partially successful and may not be desirable for some types of procedures. In other cases, an operator may attempt to remove obstructing debris using mechanical agitation, e.g., by gently contacting the distal end of the endoscope with a nearby, internal body surface. However, such action carries a risk of inadvertent damage to the contacted tissue. There remains a need for a convenient and effective method and apparatus for removing debris from optical or other functional elements of an endoscope.